For James Thomas, who played at the school and was a longtime assistant before taking over the head coaching job ahead of the 2018 season, the message evokes a particular sense of pride.
“It means everything,” Thomas said this week as the Mustangs put in their final preparations for Friday’s season-opener against visiting Briarcrest. “It’s what we all set out to do; it’s a group of us (coaches) that have been here since I took over the program and that’s what we set out to do.
“To make it come to fruition is really, really cool. Being from the school and having played for the school, it means that much more.”
Last season will always be a pretty cool memory for the Mustangs. After a 1-2 start to the season, Houston reeled off 12 consecutive victories culminated by a 24-9 victory over three-time defending champion Murfreesboro Oakland in the BlueCross Bowl in Chattanooga.
Even in that one, few pundits gave the Mustangs a chance. In one mid-state publication, all reporters picked Oakland and only one thought Houston had the potential to keep it even reasonably close.
But that was last year.
Starting Friday, Thomas and his team face a new, more difficult challenge. Reaching the mountaintop was one thing; now Houston must stay there.
There’s a quiet confidence around the program they can do just that.
“Look, we have a very talented team coming back,” Thomas said. “We lost a good group of seniors, obviously, but you look at the talent we have, the group that we have ... I know what a championship team looks like.
“I think this looks like one. But I’ve told them, this is such a long journey. Look at what happened last year.”
A two-point loss to South Panola in the second game of the season was followed by a one-point defeat to Germantown. At that point, Thomas said, he wasn’t quite sure who was still in the boat and who was making plans to abandon ship.
But Houston righted its course and will head into Friday’s game on a 12-game winning streak tied with Christ Presbyterian Academy for the second-longest in the state trailing only South Pittsburg and Nashville Pearl-Cohn (15).
Defense played a big part; Coach Tom Kliman’s unit allowed just 26 points in five postseason games and did a fine job shutting down Oakland’s vaunted run game on a cold and rainy afternoon at Finley Stadium.
And the defense will play a big part again, especially in the secondary.
In Ladeadrick James, Andre Allen Jr., D.J. Miller and Chase Manning, Houston boasts what might just be the strongest position group in all of Shelby County. All four are seniors and all four should have a chance to play in college.
But, like Thomas said, it was a long journey. Miller missed the last half of the season due to non-football-related issues while Manning missed the entire campaign with a torn ACL.
But now the band is back together for a final tour of Region 8-6A and beyond. Thomas compares the synergy the group has developed under defensive backs coach Jared Schmidt to Advanced Placement-level coursework as opposed to remedial studies.
“They’re talking about stuff that’s on a different level,” Thomas said. “That’s more talent than I’ve seen in a secondary in my life. All of them can play each position, and Andre is out there kind of captaining the whole thing. D.J.’s the same way; he’s just a little softer spoken.”
Allen, son and namesake of the former Memphis Tiger basketball standout, said the chemistry is the result of years of playing alongside each other.
“We’ve gotten better every year,” he said. “We coach ourselves, coach the younger guys, and just get better.”
At linebacker, Houston is solid as well with seniors Owen Waggener, Ben Killebrew and Donnell Yarbrough also returning. Up front, Thomas will be depending on Trayson Shaw, Garrett Hagan and Kedrick Donald.
With so much experience, it’s going to be hard for a newcomer to break through. But one who will, who already has to a certain extent, is Khori Faulkner. The sophomore linebacker who moved back into the area from Nebraska this offseason compiled quite an impressive highlight reel in Houston’s scrimmages.
“We had Jose Joiner, who graduated last year, and he kind of plugged in right there,” Thomas said. “He’s so young, (but) he has a nose for the football. He’s making plays all over the field.”
On offense, the outlook is every bit as rosy. Houston’s Fab Four in the secondary will see action at the skill positions and Thomas loves the potential of sophomore tight end Jonas Jimerson, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound physical specimen who is “long as a snake” but still figuring things out.
At running back, state championship game MVP Damon Sisa has graduated, but Celley Davis should slot in seamlessly. The junior bided his time in a reserve role in 2023 but has already picked up several Division 1 offers.
At 6-1 and 190, he might not be as fast as Sisa — few are — but he’s strong and tough between the tackles.
“I expect a big year out of Celley Davis,” Thomas said.
And it goes without saying Houston expects a big year from Chandler Day. The senior earned all-state mention at quarterback in 2023, throwing for 2,479 yards and 34 touchdowns against just eight interceptions while completing almost 61% of his throws.
“He’s like another coach on the field,” Thomas said. “It’s very comforting to know that you’re going to come to practice and (feel like), ‘Ah, I’ve got to coach my quarterback all day.’ We’re still going to coach him, but it’s the little details.
“Not that we have to dumb it down because he doesn’t know what he’s doing, just little things here and there.”
The 6-2, 200-pound Day is also a terrific pitcher for Houston’s baseball team, and it’s the sport he’ll likely play in college. In doing so, he’ll be following in the footsteps of his father, Collins, who was a two-sport star at Germantown a generation ago.
Chandler Day has grown up around sports, has an appreciation for what it takes to be successful and, like his coach, is tremendously proud of what Houston accomplished in 2023. <... Click here to read full article
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